Durante
General Information Durante is a young woman who appears to have recently arrived in Kingsmouth, or recently returned. She seems to be a polite, well-mannered young woman who enjoys speaking with others. She is intelligent and reasonably well-educated. She also seems to enjoy discussing intellectual pursuits for those interested in such things. Description This young woman has a narrow face with a pointed chin, dark brown hair, and eyes that look like a mix of green and honey flecks mixed together. Lightly tanned skin and a seemingly girl-next-door way of carrying herself. Looking to be in her early twenties, this woman stands at about five foot two. Her straight hair either left to hang naturally, often swept about by the wind as though it were trying to steal it away, or more often worn in up in some elegant style. She seems to favor gowns and dresses over anything else, often with tasteful and elegant lines. Based on the quality of her clothing and accessories most would assume she has a lot of money. IC Reference Materials (Tab names suggest who would know what) The Mortal World= Durante is little known, and seems to just be another visitor to the city of Kingsmouth. Anyone who speaks with her for long enough will figure out Durante is actually her surname, which seems to prefer to go by for some reason. If asked she will provide her first name Adrienne. She seems to be a friendly enough sort, and carries herself as though she comes from money, or once did. Whether or not she is related to the Durante family of the city is anyone's guess. Among the more educated her full name might seem an amusing coincidence as a woman from the Durante family named Adrienne was the founder of the Erudite Association, a society originally of young intellectuals created in the year 1921. In truth the society was a bit controversial when it was founded for three reasons; the fact the original members were all in their twenties, the fact it was co-ed, and of course the fact it was founde by a woman. Originally a group of friends from university, the society has fluctuated in numbers over the decades since its founding. The Erudites still exist today, though their numbers have deminished to only about two or three members. As when the Erudites were founded, they remain a group who meet regularly and discuss various matters from philosophy and literature to science and technology. Anyone who values academia or considers themself a scholar would know about the Erudites, though whether they were ever a member of them or not is another matter. |-|The Durante family= The Durante family was among the original aristocratic families to settle in what was once Kingsport, when the town was founded. French in origin, the family had a long history in the local area for being highly influential in mortal politics and society. They were also well known for being a family who prided themselves on being highly educated, at times to the point of arrogance. Also they were known for being philanthropists and businessmen who cared for the local community. (This section is known only to the Kindred community) Adrienne Durante is the only member of this family to ever be embraced, no other member of the family is aware of the Masquerade or anything else supernatural. (End of section known only to the Kindred community) In more recent events, one generation squandered the family fortune resulting in hard times. The last of the known members of the Durante Family left town thirty years ago. Since then the Durante family estate, known as Tranquillité estate has ben taken care of by an elderly couple, while the estate itself is maintained by a trust set up by the family in better times. Albert and Mary Clegg, who once served the family, are now the caretakers of the estate. Due to the lack of funds and the aging caretakers the estate has fallen into disrepair in more recent years, the fact its been the home of one of the oldest aristocratic families in the city of Kingsmouth is what has saved it from demolition, as it is viewed by many to be a historic landmark. |-|Tranquillité Estate= The ancestral home of the Durante family since the founding of Kingsport, Tranquillité estate was originally constructed in 1639 C.E. by Fidel Durante, the original patriarch of the family. Originally a french family, though the name is originally Italian, the Durantes were aristocrats that moved to an english colony of all places. It isn't known why but the family were among the original aristocrats of the new town and almost from the start gained a reputation for producing savvy businessmen and being pillars of the local community. Over the centuries the estate was renovated and expanded till it resembled a french chateau. The grounds of the estate were once viewed to be a place for those with money and influence to visit to let the creative juices flow. A local artist is even said to have painted a true masterpiece of the gardens that hung in the estate itself. Sadly it is unknown what happened to the painting as in the late Twentieth Century the family fell on hard times and in the year 1984 C.E. the last of the Durante family moved away. Having been declared a historic site in 1979 C.E. A trust was set up by the family to ensure the estate would be kept in good condition, this would prove advantageous when the family moved away as it allowed the estate to remain standing as caretakers were assigned to keep the estate as best they could. In the thirty years since the last Durante moved away the caretakers growing older resulted in the estate becoming more and more rundown, as the trust couldn't be accessed aside from the payment of taxes and the like. In late 2014, a member of the Durante family returned to the city. Adrienne Durante, great granddaughter of the founder of the Erudite Association, who is also the young woman's namesake, found out about the estate's current status and was able to be declared the legal owner. Since then, and in a relatively short period of time, she has worked hard to have work crews working throughout the day to renovate the historic home. Despite the noise, neighbors seem to be fairly tolerant of this, likely due to the fact the old estate finally being fixed up will dramatically improve the local land values. |-|The Kindred= Among the Kindred a bit more is known about Adrienne Durante, at least by those old enough. She was born in the year 1900 C.E. and was embraced in 1925. She held a good bit of influence in her time despite being a Caitiff. She became influential through a deep understanding of the politics, both human and kindred, in her day. In 1930 she cut her ties with the mortal world to avoid breaking the Masquerade and devoted her time to Kindred affairs. It was also around this time she joined the Carthians. She has never held territory of her own, she's never produced any Childe to date, and has had a few ghouls of her own. She is very intelligent and clever, and has a deep understanding of politics. She was born into the human family Durante, one of the original aristocratic families of Kingsport when the town was founded. She is the only member of this family to be anything but human however. She is also known to have founded the Erudite Association when she was still human, this may or may not have been part of the reason she was sired. From 1930 to 1964 Adrienne continued to help Kindred gain influence in the communities of Kingsport, Innsmouth, and Arkham. Gaining nothing of any great importance, she was always consistent in her efforts. Adrienne was well on the path to some day gaining a great deal of personal influence, until 1964 when she was on the streets and was shot in front of witnesses during an attempted mugging. Adrienne of course had no lasting damage from a common bullet, but as over a dozen humans had witnessed the event she had to keep up appearances. She somehow managed to get out of the morgue without drawing attention and disappeared. Reports at the time discovered that in order to protect the masquerade she voluntarily entered torpor. Its unknown where she spent her time in torpor, but she wasn't heard from again for fifty years. She has been confirmed to have returned from torpor in 2014, and seems to be trying to re-establish herself in connections and influence. The following post was left on the Elysium board on Nov. 12, 2014: After time to adjust to most of the changes in since my last period of activity I have decided to offer my services as Moderator to any Kindred in need of a neutral party to settle disputes among themselves. Those of you old enough to recall may remember me as one who had a reasonable amount of influence and contacts in the nineteen thirties through early sixties. My reputation for being fair, polite, and reasonable should also be remembered. I may be contacted at the following number, or a message may be left at Tranquillité Estate if my services are required. Appointments will be held at Tranquillite Estate, which can also be made available for meetings of all parties involved wish to meet on neutral ground. Adrienne Durante, Caitiff of the movement. Ask for Durante. (OOC: A phone number is provided to contact Durante ICly.) *End of Elysium Post* |-|Domain Rules= 1: Do not harm, feed from, steal from, or in any other way mess with my thralls, ghouls, childer, home, or anything else marked by my cant without my express permission. 2: Tranquillité estate is my haven and is considered neutral ground. Any threat against it or those within will be met with serious and likely violent reactions from myself and possibly any other within. Violence within the privacy wall will not be tolerated. 3: Fledgelings and Neonates of any Clan or Covenant, even Caitiffs and Unaligned may hunt within Monaughey so long as they do not bring unwanted attention to the area, breach the Masquerade, or overfeed. |-|Thralls= Nidalee.jpg|Nidalee - Marked by a coin-like pendant hanging from a chain with the cant on the coin part. Public Relationship (Known to the general public, mortal or Kindred) - Friend. PC Mary Clegg - Marked by a cant tattoo. Public relationship (Known to the general public, mortal or Kindred) - Housekeeper. NPC Albert Clegg - Marked by a cant tattoo. Public relationship (Known to the general public, mortal or Kindred) - Housekeeper. NPC |-|Ghouls= Ziva.jpg|Ziva - Marked by a bracelet with a coin-like medallion bearing Durante's cant attached to a gold chain. Public relationship (Known to the general public, mortal or Kindred) - Personal assistant. PC |-|Alternate Identification***= Durante has taken steps to create identification. For humans and anyone looking into her history, the I.D. claims she is her great-granddaughter. General details from this I.D. follows: *Name: Adrienne Durante *Address: Tranquillité estate, 1980 Sagecroft Avenue. Kingsmouth, Massachusetts *Employment: Self-Employed *Ethnicity: Caucasian *D.O.B.: 2/21/1991 *Sex: Female *Height: 5'2" *Hair: Brown *Eyes: Hazel *Citizenship: United States of America |-|Historic Status (No Longer Valid)= This section is to provide a reference point for those who were alive during the times listed so they may more accurately determine if and how well they might have known Durante. This section covers the years 1900-2014, specifically time prior to joining the game and hitting the grid. None of the following statistics are currently accurate, for current statistics see the other sections of this page and relevant wiki pages regarding City Status and the like. 1900-1921 *Name: Adrienne Durante (Went by Adrienne) *Race: Human *Position: Aristocrat *Notes: Born into the aristocratic family Durante. Family was among the original aristocratic families at the founding of the town of Kingsport in 1639. The Durante family were originally french, they were known for producing people who were business savvy, well-educated, and the family were also known to be philanthropists. For these reasons they were well respected and influential in the mortal world. 1921-1925 *Status: Local Politics (Humans)****-***** with a specialty. *The Erudite Association***** (Founder and leader) *Notes: Adrienne graduated from Miskatonic University in 1921, and almost immediately used her influence with her peers to found the Erudite Association. This was an intellectual society where intellectuals and scholars could gather regardless of gender to discuss anything of academic or scientific in nature. Such discussions were intended to broaden the mind, help those who pursued more intellectual careers the chance to present and develop theories, and generally to expand upon known knowledge. Originally members consisted of Adrienne and several of her university friends. 1925-1930 *Race: Kindred *Clan: Caitiff *Covenant: None *Position: Aristocrat *Status: Local Politics (Humans)***** with a specialty. *City Status* *Thralls: 1+ *Ghouls: 0-1 *Childer: None *Notes: Adrienne was embraced in 1925, though the reason and who her sire is remains unknown to this day. For the next five years she walked the line between being Kindred and living publicly as a human. She remained a member of the Erudites and also started to develop connections within Kindred circles, though she was a Caitiff without any allegiance to a Covenant. It was also during this time Adrienne established her cant. 1930-1964 *Covenant: Carthian*-** *Human Status: None *City Statue: 2-3 *Thralls: 3+ *Ghouls: 2+ *Childer: None *Domain: Placed a claim on Osyth (Unresolved) *Notes: In 1930, Adrienne left a note for her family claiming she met someone and was leaving to be with them. No further information was given, in truth this was done to avoid a breach of the masquerade due to people she was close to noticing her lack of aging. She instead shifted her focus to developing in Kindred circles, she also finally chose a Covenant to join, becoming one of the Carthian Movement almost right away. She used the Carthian Movement to expand her political connections and became known among the Movement not for being a radical but for "Working within the system to get what we want". She had contacts within both Kindred and human circles and proved a reliable and knowledgeable source of information in local politics. Approaching the mid-60s she finally made a claim on the district of Osyth, which was hardly anything to talk about, but it wasn't bad for someone just starting out in claiming territory. Unfortunately Adrienne was shot in public in 1964 and 'disappeared' to avoid a breach in the masquerade. As a result her claim on Osyth was nullified. 1964-2014 *Notes: During a fifty year period Adrienne went into a voluntary torpor. Though she could have simply left the city and continued elsewhere, for reasons known only to her she chose torpor instead. Whatever her reasons, this showed to what extremes she would go to protect the masquerade. A decision some respected for the dedication and others dismissed as stupidity as there were other options. Adrienne did nothing during this time for obvious reasons, it also resulted in much of what she established being lost. Her thralls all died for one reason or another, her ghouls either dead or claimed by others. She still had not sired any childer, and her cant stopped being used. No one knows where Adrienne spent her torpor, but it was obviously secure or secret enough that none disturbed her. RP Hooks * Voluntary Torpor - Durante entered voluntary torpor in 1964 and has awoke in 2014. Perhaps you respect her sacrifice to keep the masquerade, perhaps you think her choice was foolish. Perhaps you can help her catch up on what has happened while she was "away". * Status Carthian* - Durante joined the Carthians prior to her torpor, and has returned to them now she has awoke. * Striking looks** - Durante has an elegant beauty to her face. Anyone who is attracted to such things would certainly have an interest in her at least. Whether anything comes out of that interest or not, just have to see. * Caitiff - It is unknown which clan Durante belongs to, some might be able to guess, some might assume, but its uncertain. * Intellect - Anyone who spends enough time with Durante learns she is a very intelligent woman, she considers herself an intellectual and scholar of sorts, and she loves learning. * Occult* - Durante delved a bit into occult studies prior to torpor. * Family - Durante had three siblings, an older brother who served in WWI, a sister, the third could be either. Durante is old enough to have great-great nieces and great-great nephews who are around the age she appears to be. Are you one of her siblings descendants? Also of note, the last of the Durante family moved away from Kingsmouth 30 years ago due to one generation making bad decisions and making them effectively broke. Could you be one of those that have returned now that the family estate has been bought and being renovated? Up until the 1984 and likely after, no member of the Durante family was aware the supernatural exists with the exception of Durante herself. * Moderator - Durante has offered her services as a mediator in Kindred affairs if anyone wishes to take her up on the offer. Rumors * Seen leaving arm in arm with Carlisle York and Valentina Bellucci from Shenanigans... * Seen around town courting Carlisle York - quite the giggly school girl around him! * Barely woken up and she already earned Prestation from the Daeva Priscus, watch out for this one! * Among Human Intellectuals Interested in Local History: A woman founded the Erudite Association in 1921 named Arienne Durante, perhaps this is a relative of hers? * Among Kindred Only: Durante recently came out of a voluntary torpor to protect the masquerade. * Among Kindred Who Know About the Politics of the Time Only: Durante was very influential among the Kindred from 1925-1964, especially during 1930-1964. * Among Kindred Only: Durante is a Caitiff. * She's way older then she might want you to think, something about her just screams "Elder" Gallery and Media Outfits Hairstyles View of Touchstone http://youtu.be/OPWPa-HMpj8 Category:Carthian Category:Vampire Category:Active PC